


Don't You Know (We're Stronger Now)?

by KaelsMiscellany



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Aether bonded | 'connected', Croatoan's heel-face-turn was a trick, Duke resurrection, Multi, Void Hopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 11:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaelsMiscellany/pseuds/KaelsMiscellany
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan’s hand laces in her own and squeezes, incentive enough to tear herself away. “We’ll stop you,” she declares, the assertion filling her up with certainty. “We’ll find a way.” Audrey swears, swears, an invisible hand laces with her free one, a hand lacking in details, yet utterly right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't You Know (We're Stronger Now)?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jadzibelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadzibelle/gifts).



> So surprise! You got a bonus fill! One that's nearly six times longer than my first fill...yeah, that was unexpected.
> 
> Title comes from Aurora's "Running With the Wolves". Also recommended as listening music is Woodkid's Desierto (sans "Land of All"), which was basically my writing music for the whole thing.

“Thank you,” the warmth in her father’s voice catches her off guard. “That’s exactly what I needed.” He laughs, next to her she can feel Nathan tense and even Vince looks flabbergasted.

Audrey shakes her head in denial, but she’s not sure if it’s any use. “No. This is your _prison_ , you’re stuck here and can’t hurt anyone else.” The loss of Duke is still raw and open, and it does feel good to be dealing with the man who’s responsible. “The Barn will take in all the aether too, no more Troubles.”

Croatoan gives her an indulgent smile. “Is that what you think?” He steps towards her and she can see Nathan reaching for his gun out of the corner of her eye, a dim burst of affection fills her. “Oh no dove, this isn’t my prison.” He cups her face in his hands and she struggles to get away for a brief instant, before his grip tightens and she hates herself for it but she freezes; the memory of him breaking her arm holding her in fear. “It’s my _ship_.” His eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I’m going to go back home now sweetheart and it’s all thanks to you.”

Nathan’s hand laces in her own and squeezes, incentive enough to tear herself away. “We’ll stop you,” she declares, the assertion filling her up with certainty. “We’ll find a way.” Audrey swears, _swears_ , an invisible hand laces with her free one, a hand lacking in details, yet utterly right.

“I’m sure you’ll try,” her father nods, and it barely even registers when Vince flickers out. “But it won’t be here.”

The world goes black.

-

Audrey’s eyes open to eerie, sickly, greenness.

Not that she pays much attention to that fact, more concerned with the immediate reality that she cannot breath, or at least not very well.

Sitting upright makes her head swim and she realizes she’s probably already suffering from oxygen deprivation. Her mind wants to panic, but she needs to _survive_ first. She tries to breath slowly and as deeply as she can, it gives her a little more air, but not much. Looking to her left she sees Nathan, still unconscious, but his hand feels warm and alive in her own—it’s not concrete but she’ll damn well take it for now. But Nathan’s hand only draws her attention to the fact that there’s another hand, one holding her right.

As fast as she can she turns her head, her vision swimming she finds herself looking at another man, possibly tall, dark short hair and goatee, tanned skin, dark clothes and...no, no, no—hallucinations, she knows are a side effect of deprivation. His hand in hers is just as warm as Nathan’s, but she can’t feel a pulse, and he’s not breathing.

 _Now_ her mind begins to panic, her subconscious somehow taking over with its assertion that this is _Duke_ , and that he can be _saved_.

So despite the fact that she’s in no shape to do so, she lets go of Nathan and kneels next to the other man to begin performing CPR. Her hands still somehow work properly—or maybe it’s just adrenaline—and she finds herself giving all the breath she can to him as she counts out the seconds in her mind.

Even with panic clouding her mind there’s still a logical enough part of her remaining to point out that without a defibrillator it’s unlikely she’ll be able to restore a pulse, so she’s really just delaying the inevitable.

Her subconscious refuses to accept that and keeps pumping, she can feel her own muscles begin to weaken from lack of oxygen; and she can’t even spare the energy to cry tears of frustration, because this is how she’s going to die? Trying to save a dead man’s life while her own slips away for reasons unknown? What would Nathan think when he finally came to? Or is he dying just like her?

Anger, raw and hot, floods her. _No!_ She is not going to let anyone else die, not if she can help it. She feels her hands growing warm, and a power she’s experienced only once before shimmers through her.

Beneath her the man’s heart begins to beat, weak and arrhythmic.

Her own feeling like she’s about to die begins to fade away, but she still can’t really breath. And she knows if the man’s heart doesn’t steady he’ll die anyways.

Raising her left arm—right now she thinks she’s willing to do anything, even if there’s a low chance of success—she brings it down, her fist hitting the man’s sternum.

For a moment nothing seems to happen, then she she feels the man’s heart jump slightly, then fall into a steady rhythm. Moments after that the man gasps for breath and Audrey finds she can breath herself; she follows suit.

With her body returning to the way it should be she abandons the man and turns to Nathan, his own breathing and pulse are steady beneath her fingers and she finds her shoulder slumping in relief; she’s crying now too, and doesn’t bother to hold the tears back.

Her panic dying down she starts to really pay attention to the world around her, the sickly green light, the utter silence, the way the grass under her just feels...off.

Once she can see clearly she turns her head back to the man she’d saved to get an _actual_ look at him.

It _is_ Duke.

“Oh look,” a familiar voice speaks from behind her.

-

“Three of my least favorite people in the world.” William’s voice is _not_ what Nathan wants to hear as he’s waking up, in any context. Least of all the only one that’s possible when he opens his eyes and sees familiar sickly green.

“William,” Audrey spits out from next to him; and Nathan lets himself feel the moment of relief that she’s still alive, that Croatoan didn’t take her with him.

Biting back a groan Nathan sits up and turns to stare at William and his aether goon; making sure he can see Audrey out of the corner of his eye. “What do you want?” Parker’s anger is always a glorious thing to watch, at least when it’s directed at other people.

Then Nathan’s mind catches up to the fact that William said _three_. Did Vince get ejected from the Barn too somehow? His eyes dart around until they fall on an unconscious... _Duke_. His heart freezes and it feels like he can’t breath.

Next to him Audrey gasps and sways, her eyes going wide. For a moment he thinks it’s because she’s just seeing Duke for the first time too, but he sees she’s got her gaze still firmly locked on William. Who’s own eyes are taking in all three of them, the corners crinkling as he smiles.

“Creating an aether bond without even knowing how? That’s my girl.”

“Not your girl,” Parker snaps, glaring at William.

Who’s face falls slightly and turns serious. “No, you’re not are you.” He sounds almost _sad_ , and Nathan finds it’s a fight to hold onto his own anger; especially in the face of _Duke_ —or at least his body—somehow being pulled here with them.

“What do you mean aether bond?” Nathan’s voice sounds crackly to his own ears and he grimaces.

William rolls his eyes. “You can’t be _that_ stupid can you?” He berates. “Or did you already forgot what happened when you shot me? Or headbutted her?”

Like Nathan could forget, either time. Except. “We’re not dead and he is.” It hurts to say, to remember than it’s his own hands that did the deed; makes him wish he’d never gotten his Goddamned tattoo.

“He’s not dead,” Parker corrects, and the relief that fills Nathan nearly bowls him over. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re not bonded,” her voice sounds firm in the assertion, Nathan’s pretty sure he agrees with her.

“Right,” William rolls his eyes again. “That’s why when you woke up you had trouble breathing until he was breathing again. Totally not bonded.” He gives a derisive snort. “And I’m a human being.”

At that mention Nathan finds himself wondering how long they’ve been in the Void, if he should be worrying about them falling sick anytime soon; if there’s time for them to try and find a thinny out of here—although he thinks if there were any nearby William would have been long gone by now.

Next to him Parker snorts back. “I’d hardly call you an impartial observer on the subject.”

Whatever response William’s about to fire back becomes unimportant when Duke coughs and groans. In a heartbeat both he and Parker are at Duke’s side, Nathan blinks back tears as he watches Duke open familiar brown eyes. “My head,” he groans. “What the hell happened?”

Parker joins in with Nathan’s relieved laughter and soon they’re both scooping Duke up into a hug, Nathan’s mind doesn’t even register the usual disappointment at not being able to feel the other man; he’s just so damn happy Duke’s alive again. Distantly he can hear William making gagging noises but he can go fuck himself.

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Duke’s arms wrap around him and Parker, and he starts to make soothing noises that muffle the choked sobs both he and Parker are making.

-

Duke’s mind might still be a bit of a muddle, but it hardly matters at the moment in the face of trying to comfort Audrey and Nathan.

Still even with his focus on them he finds his semi-paranoid habits kicking in and he starts to try and take stock of the situation. They’re someplace...strange, with William and his mountain of a goon standing idly by. It gets Duke’s hackles up, but he also has no idea what the fuck’s going on.

“Where are we?” He asks as Audrey and Nathan’s crying begins to subside. He’s not exactly sure why he’s okay with them crying all over him—except for maybe the obvious torches—but providing them with at least some comfort makes him happy. _“We love you Duke.”_ It’s Audrey’s voice, Duke finds himself blinking back tears of his own, but when the hell did she say that?

“The Void,” Nathan responds flatly.

“See,” William speaks up. “I’m more curious on the _how_ you got here. I mean here I was minding my business when the three of you fell out of the sky. It was almost comical really.”

Audrey stiffens and pulls away slightly, but seems just as unwilling as Nathan to leave his side. “My father,” she says. “Croatoan booted us out of his...ship.” Her tone is a tangle of anger and disgust that confuses Duke.

Then again the mention of her father brings up a veritable hydra of guilt in Duke over all the people he’d killed because of that bastard—he hopes demons rip him apart while he’s still alive. Except he remembers breaking free and...everything’s hazy after that.

“Well shit,” Duke watches warily as William stands. “Welp, it was nice catching up with you I’m sure, but I’ve got places to be. Good luck getting out before the Void kills you.” He turns and starts walking off, goon following.

“So what,” Audrey calls out. “You’re just going to leave us here?”

William doesn’t even falter. “Yep! Got no reason to help you. Mara’s dead, you’re going up against _Croatoan_. Who honestly gives _me_ the heebie-jeebies…” His voice drifts away as he vanishes into the woods.

 _Fuck you_ , Duke thinks bitterly. But at least now with him gone they can focus on other things, like: “What the hell’s going on?” He trusts them, but also some answers would be nice considering how confused he is.

Nathan and Audrey share a look. “What’s the last thing you remember?” Nathan’s voice sounds...tentative, something Duke’s pretty sure he’s never heard from the other man before.

“The station,” Duke replies easily. “I’d broken free of Croatoan and…” Something shakes loose. “He found out and started pulling the Troubles I’d collected from me…” Dread curdles his stomach, because in that memory there’s only the briefest amount of panic before steely resolve fills him.

Again, Audrey and Nathan look at each other and he finds his dread sparking into anger. “Tell me.” It doesn’t quite come out a demand. “Keeping secrets isn’t going to do us any good.” Duke knows that much at least.

Pain flashes across two faces before a jumble of words begins to spill out. “You…” “I…” “The only way…” “You wouldn’t accept no…” It just keeps coming, disjoined and hurting, but in the end Duke gets the general idea, and maybe it’s a good thing he doesn’t remember—maybe never will. Hearing that Audrey _did_ admit to him that she and Nathan _loved_ him is in a way a relief, although could she have picked a shittier time to do so? He wouldn’t have been able to admit that he loved them back or anything else really before he died.

His mind stutters for a moment, realizing you _died_ has a habit of doing that he’s sure, but it happened and somehow he’s back. And he’s too grateful at the moment to question ‘why’ and ‘how’.

The fact that it was at Nathan’s hands...he’s not sure how he feels about that. Because he _did_ ask, yet, well, he _died_ ; he’s pretty sure he’s allowed to feel some measure of upset about that.

Part of him wants to be petty and hold back his own feelings because of that. But he’s done his best in life not to be a hypocrite if he can help it, and he’s pretty sure that keeping a secret after saying they shouldn’t is the height of hypocrisy. He lets himself take a moment thought, a few deep breath to try and center himself, before even thinking of speaking.

“This probably isn’t the best time,” but, he rationalizes to himself, when will be? “But I love you too, the both of you.” It’s strange that he doesn’t feel any different now than when he did when he’d kept that to himself.

Audrey laughs, the sound almost bright in the eerie stillness, and leans in to kiss him. And this time there’s no guilt, no specter of ‘but she’s with Nathan’ hanging over them; because Nathan’s right there watching them, and with nothing to cover it up it’s easy to hear the way he starts to pant as he watches. Which just revs Duke up even more.

When he and Audrey break apart he lets himself feel a smidge of smug pride at how rumpled she looks. But he tears his attention away from her and to Nathan, who looks like he might just come from watching them—and if they were in a better place than the Void Duke would absolutely see if that was possible.

“Come here you,” he reaches out and grabs Nathan’s shirt and jacket, using it to pull the other man to him. Besides a few fumbling kisses in middle school before Nathan decides that no he liked girls, it’s a much newer experience for Duke. Least of all because Nathan can’t feel. So Duke lets himself be a little more vocal; and alright, what Nathan’s trying to do with his tongue is a bit of a mess, but Duke doesn’t really give a fuck.

Duke’s almost uncomfortably hard now, but he’s just going to have to live with it, pulling himself away from Nathan and reminding his body that breathing is a thing he needs to do to stay alive.

“Okay,” Audrey’s sounds breathy, and Duke finds himself sharing a smile with Nathan. “We should really focus on getting out of here.”

She definitely won’t hear any arguments from him on that front.

He stands, grateful that his coat hides the obvious, and looks around. Nothing but woods as far as the eye can see. “How?”

-

Audrey resists the urge to squirm as she stands herself, she didn’t expect kissing to turn her on so much—it hasn’t ever really before—but apparently it does now. Of course now isn’t exactly the best time, as Duke said. She wishes it was.

Then again in the face of ‘how are we getting out of here?’, she finds her desire for sex dying a quick death. “We find a thinny,” she answers as confidently as possible.

“Except all the ones in Haven are sealed, and as far as we know the nearest one’s in South Carolina. And who knows how long that would take us to get there.” Nathan reminds patiently. “And we can’t make one.”

“Can’t we?” She looks at Duke, as far as they know Hailie’s Trouble isn’t one of the ones Croatoan took, and Nathan still has his ring—she got her own back from Duke, but she thinks she might have left it in Haven.

At least it doesn’t take long for Duke and Nathan to catch her drift. “I’m willing to try,” Duke says his voice sounding worn as he holds his hand out. Audrey can’t resist and rises up to kiss his cheek in comfort.

Nathan nods and takes off his necklace, pooling it in Duke’s hand before squeezing Duke’s wrist.

Duke closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

Before he can do much else however a grinding rumble fills the air and the ground beneath them shakes—Nathan falls and she risks heading over to help him up. Something black catches her eye and she whips her head around to see...what she can only describe as a black geyser shooting up into the air. Except it doesn’t come back down like she expects; instead it’s being pulled towards a...gash in the sky.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize who’s behind it. Her father, which means the stuff must be aether and she shudders to think what he’s inflicting on innocent people.

At least the ground’s stopped. “Try,” she reminds Duke. Not wanting him to get caught up anything other than opening a thinny.

He gives a grim nod and closes his eyes again, “help him keep steady,” she tells Nathan. It might be a case of the blind leading the blind, but just in case there’s another quake like that one she hopes they’ll keep each other upright enough for Duke not to lose focus.

Something’s running towards them and without hesitation she goes over to Nathan and takes his gun—why didn’t she think to bring her own when they went to face Croatoan?—aiming towards the sound approaching them.

William bursts out of the trees a few seconds later, without his goon. “Alright,” he pants, slightly out of breath. “Maybe I’ll help.”

Audrey flicks the safety on and lowers the gun. “Why should I believe you? And where’s your muscle?” For all she knows this is a setup of some sort. William might have said he was afraid of Croatoan, but that didn’t mean William wouldn’t team up with him.

“What, Heavy?” William gestures at the geyser. “He got pulled in, like calls to like and all that jazz. And as for why you should believe me...well. Let’s just say that your dear dad seems to be collapsing the reality of the Void.” Shit—it’s too outrageous to be a lie.

“Duke,” her tone’s slightly panicked, but she has no idea how long it might take...reality to cease about them.

“Not helping,” Duke responds tightly.

William looks confused, “what-”

“No talking. Don’t make me gag you.” She’d shoot him, except she doesn’t know if they’re still bonded, and really the sounds of a gunshot are likely to be more distracting than attempting to gag him.

He closes his mouth and mimes zipping his lips.

Trusting him...enough she turns her attention back to Duke, who’s holding his hand out in front of him, in the strange light she can seen the chain of Nathan’s necklace dangling from his other fist.

Another rumble fills the air, but the ground doesn’t shake again. However, as she watches some of the nearby trees go, well _hazy_ and vanish. Looks like William wasn’t lying then. On the heels of the rumble however a familiar chiming sound fills the air and feels her shoulders slumping in relief; home, finally they can go home and pick up the pieces.

“Nathan, you go first. Then William, then I’ll pull in Duke.” She’s not sure if he can maintain the portal and walk at the same time, so she’ll just drag him through and hope for the best.

Nathan makes a face but nods in agreement before dashing in. She makes a ‘go on’ gesture to William and he follows soon after—she hopes Nathan will be enough to handle him if he tries anything.

Walking up to Duke she wraps her hands around his outstretched hand and walks backwards towards the portal, keeping her eyes on his. It makes for slow going but it’s better than nothing. When she feels the thinny prickling at her she nods. “One,”

“Two,” Duke joins in.

“Three.” She steps back at the same time she jerks him towards her and they go falling through.

Traveling between worlds feels strange, moreso because it doesn’t seem to take any time at all.

She hits the ground and gets the breath knocked out of her when Duke falls on her. Her hands shove at his shoulders in an attempt to get him off her.

He groans and rolls over and she can breath again.

-

“Nathan?” It’s a relief to hear Duke’s voice, to know that it _worked_ , that they all made it out unharmed—well, alright, if William had gotten hurt it still would have been good.

“Here,” he answers, not exactly pleased with his shaky voice.

Then again he’s possibly got a right to be shaky.

They’ve ended up in a town, except it’s not Haven.

For one thing the building’s here are too...alien. Strangely spindly looking, like a stiff breeze might knock them over. Also the place is clearly abandoned. And it’s certainly nowhere near the ocean, no familiar white noise of waves; in fact it looks like they’re in the middle of farm land.

“Where the hell are we?” Well good thing he’s not the only one with that question. And he finds himself feeling a brief flush of relief when he feels Parker’s hand brush his own, sparks of warmth seeming to linger on his skin.

William comes out of a house, Nathan hadn’t realized he’d gone in. “you’re home,” he says with his mouth full. “Welcome to Oblus.” He swallows. “Let me guess you used a focus from here to help you make the thinny?’ He sounds amused as he takes another bite of his apple.

He, Duke, and Parker share a look, none of them having thought that they’d end up anywhere else but Earth.

“That’s not yours,” he tells William, needing to focus on something he _can_ control, at least for a minute.

It earns him a snort. “Oh please, clearly no one’s coming back here. And excuse you but I haven’t eaten in forever, so I’ll eat what I damn well want.” As if to spite Nathan he takes another bite. And while Nathan would rather not, to be fair the whole village looks abandoned.

“So how do we get back to Earth?” Parker sounds tired, and Nathan finds himself admitting that some sleep might not be a bad thing, or at least some time to rest and recover. “ _Can_ we get back to Earth?” She looks at William.

“What?” He sounds annoyed, “you expect me to have all the answers? Good luck with that.”

“You sure as hell know more than us,” Duke shoots back. He sways and Nathan reaches out to steady him. Rest for all of them then.

Parker seems to agree. “Okay, okay. Think about it later.” She yawns. “Sleep for all of us I think, and food.” She side eyes the houses and Nathan has to wonder if she’s feeling as conflicted as he is over staying in one. Maybe they could look and find something that at least looks like a hotel of some sort, even if they don’t have any of this place’s currency it’s better than breaking into someone’s home. Parker’s clearly had the same thought because she looks at William again. “You wouldn’t happen to know if there’s an inn here?”

She gets a derisive snort in response. “In a village this small? Good luck with that.” He shrugs. “Of course I’ve never been here before, so I could be wrong.” His voice fades as he vanishes back into the house he’d taken the apple from; while outside the wind picks up, making Parker huddle into her jacket.

“Come on,” Duke pulls her and Nathan close, keeping them close together as he leads them to another door. He tries the knob and Nathan’s actually sort of surprised when it just opens; trusting people here.

He finds he doesn’t even have it in him to protest right now as they shamble together up thin stairs towards what he hopes will be a bed, on the way up they pass a window and he can see dark clouds coming their way.

The second floor doesn’t have a bed, it looks like a kitchen of some sort, but the third does and without a word they strip out of their clothes and fall onto the bed. There’s some moving about as they get under the covers and work out positions, and sensations fill him—the bed is softer than he expected—as Parker’s side rests against his arm.

Duke’s warm against his back and Nathan can’t remember ever feeling so safe as he falls asleep.

-

Duke awakes with a start, he can hear wind and rain against the window and the rumble of thunder outside.

He wonders for a moment what woke him, but then he feels Nathan shift restlessly, muttering under his breath, there’s enough light that Duke sees his eyes rolling under the lids. A nightmare.

It’s woken Audrey up too, and considering she’s got more experience in the ‘sharing bedspace with Nathan’ department he lets her take the lead. “Nathan,” she says quietly giving his shoulder a shake. “Nathan, wake up.”

“Come on man,” Duke cajoles, resting his hand on Nathan’s racing heart.

Between one second and the next Nathan awakes, there’s no strangled gasp, no flailing, just a quick inhale and eyes flying open; and somehow it’s one of the saddest things Duke’s ever seen.

His eyes dart wildly and for a moment Duke’s certain he doesn’t see them, but then focus returns and Duke barely has time to process it before Nathan’s kissing him. It’s not the tentative fumbling thing from earlier either, it’s hungry and desperate and Duke finds himself responding in kind; as his eyes slide shut he notices Audrey’s own eyes flutter shut, her grip on Nathan’s arm tightening.

Duke finds everything becoming heightened after that. Hands fumbling everywhere, skin on skin, the gasp Nathan makes when Duke’s hand wraps around his cock, Audrey’s moan when Nathan’s fingers slide into her cunt, Duke’s soon following, Audrey’s own free hand wrapping around _his_ cock, and Duke finds it’s almost too much; this is far more pleasure than Duke’s ever experienced in his life before and it’s like his mind is going haywire.

Orgasm comes far more quickly than Duke expects it too, and they come together—something he thought only happened in books.  

In the aftermath he feels as if he’s floating, and not even Nathan’s heavy weight on top of him can dissipate the feeling.

Audrey’s voice breaks the silence. “That was…”

“Wow?” Nathan’s breath ghosts across Duke’s shoulder.

Duke laughs. “Not what I expected,” he finally manages to say.

“Intense,” Audrey finally finishes.

Nathan hums, and Duke’s pretty sure he’s being nuzzled; then again he’s still on a orgasm-high and doesn’t really see any reason to protest. He moves his own hands again to wrap around both of them, one palm coming to rest between Nathan’s shoulder blades, the other tangles itself in Audrey’s hair.

There are a few moments of silence between them and Duke finds his vision going strangely blurry, he finds himself starting to panic over it when Audrey speaks. “Oh Duke.” She moves closer to him, dislodging Nathan slightly, and his head gets buried in the crook of her neck, her fingers running through his hair. “It’s alright.”

Oh, he’s _crying_.

A gasping sob leaves him as he clings to the both of them. It’s a relief in a way to get this out of him, the guilt, anguish, and shame all floating away in a sea of tears.

By the end he’s feeling a little raw, but right now he doesn’t mind; Audrey and Nathan won’t take advantage of it and he knows they’ll do their best to help him, just like he’ll help them.

When he brings his head up Audrey kisses him, soft and light, and when she pulls away Nathan does the same. It makes him feel safe, an almost alien sensation in his chest. “We should go back to sleep.” He croaks, they’ve got no idea what’s ahead of them and they need to be at their best.

Audrey gives a soft smile as she nestles against his side, her hand and Nathan’s interlocked over his heart. “I love you Duke,” she murmurs. “Love you Nathan.”

“Love you too Parker,” Nathan gives a real smile, the one that crinkles the corners of his eyes. “Love you Duke.”

The feeling of safety is nearly obliterated by love filling up his heart. “Love you both,” he responds as he closes his eyes.

-

In the morning Audrey awakes to birdsong, shockingly bucolic and reminding her that they’re definitely not in Haven anymore.

When her eyes open she’s surprised to see that Duke managed to slip out without waking them, although for a moment all she feels is blind fear, that somehow she and Nathan just imagined him being there with them, guilt so strong that he almost seemed real.

The sounds below her she hadn’t really noticed before stop and Duke’s head pops up from the opening in the floor. “Audrey?” He sounds panicked, eyes wide.

Relief fills her, only to be replaced by concern because… “How did you know?”

“Quiet both of you,” Nathan’s sleep warm voice says against her shoulder. “Trying to sleep here.”

Duke’s own panic dies down—how does _she_ know—and he blinks. “I just...felt it. Like someone reached into my chest and squeezed.”

She hadn’t wanted to believe him yesterday but… “William said,” she cuts herself off, not wanting to finish.

“We’re bonded,” Nathan finishes, sounding more awake. “Don’t remember you and him sharing emotions.” Which is part of the reason she disbelieved him, aether bonds as far as she knew didn’t mean emotions, just physical states.

Sitting upright she scrubs a hand over her face, “we didn’t.” Thank God for that, who knows how things would have gone in Haven if she and him had.

Duke sighs, “one more thing to ask him about then.”

“If he’s even still here,” Nathan snorts.

“Well I should probably get back to breakfast before anything burns.” Duke stares at them for a moment. “You both okay without me?” If they really are bonded he probably has a right to be slightly worried, especially if their emotions are spilling over each other like this.

It feels like they need more time to figure things out, like if they can manage this so that their emotions don’t hamper each other, but they need to get home first, _then_ they can take their time.

That is, of course, if they can even _get_ home. With no void was such a thing even possible; did her father even really destroy the void? Or was it just destabilized? The thoughts chase each other around in her head, and she wonders if it’s okay to be thinking that it’s far too early for her to deal with this.

But realizing she’s not going to get to sleep anytime soon she groans and climbs over Nathan to get out of bed. She’s mostly out when Nathan’s hand wraps around her wrist. “Hey,” she looks at him and wishes she were the sort that would just crawl right back into bed, he looks so damn inviting. “We’ll figure it out.”

There is something buoying about his optimism, and she should probably be glad it’s not as fatalistic as before. She leans down and kisses his cheek—she has disgusting morning breath there will be no real kisses until she comes across whatever this world has for toothbrushes—pulling back with a smile. She speaks as she tugs her own clothes back on, “we’d better eat, and hope Duke doesn’t accidentally poison us.”

“Hey!” Duke’s voice floats up to them mock indignant.

Nathan laughs, a sound that warms Audrey as she heads downstairs and goes right up to Duke to kiss his cheek as well. “You know it’s only ‘cause I care.”

He huffs and shakes his head as he stirs something that looks a lot like oatmeal.

She wraps her arms around him, resting her cheek on his bare back. “Duke?” She knows he knows it was only teasing, but she also doesn’t want to fuck this up; it’s a second chance none of them expected and she won’t let herself take it for granted.

“It’s okay Audrey,” he takes one of her hands in his free one and raises it up to kiss the back. “I’m still just a little, shaky.” She knows what he means. Turning her head she kisses the middle of his back before untangling herself and making her way to what looks like—she’s pretty sure that without Mara’s memories she’s going to be experiencing a lot of ‘looks like’—a dining table.

Nathan stumbles down as she sits, and she doesn’t bother to bite back her smile as she watches him go up to Duke and nearly mimic her own earlier gesture; although with them being the same height it’s more that Nathan rests his chin on Duke’s shoulder. “Morning,” he noses behind Duke’s ear and she has to wonder what he smells.

For some reason she finds herself caught off guard when he doesn’t respond to her mental wonder, then shakes her head. She should be _glad_ that whatever bond she’d managed to create didn’t extend to actual _thoughts_.

“Okay,” Duke shrugs off Nathan. “I think breakfast is ready.” Somewhere he’d managed to find bowls and spoons and ladles them up some.

“It looks good,” if bland. But right now Audrey’ll take bland and actually edible over pretty much anything. She accepts her bowl when Duke hands it to her and digs in. The taste isn’t what she expects from ‘oatmeal’, a slightly more floral than nutty taste, but it’s not bad.

They eat in silence, more focused, she thinks, with eating than anything else.

But by the time their spoons start scraping the bottoms of the bowls—for the third time—it’s time for them to start thinking about what they’re going to do. “We need a plan,” or at least a rough outline, _something_ for them to fall back on or to guide them; they can’t just fumble their way through Oblus.

“Somewhere with people,” Nathan suggests. “If the void really is gone then I’d rather us not just throw ourselves head first into trying to get back to Haven. Find a scientist or something and see what they can tell us.”

He has a point, but it still hurts a little to contemplate, because she wants to be home _now_. “And it’s likely Croatoan’s here too.” It’s where he said he was going, and she can just imagine what he’ll do to everyone with all that aether he took.

“How are we going to stop him?” Duke asks. “If I’m honest I’m not exactly interested in finding out what Troubles I still have.” She and Nathan both reach out and lay their hands on top of Duke’s.

“We’ll figure something out. But right now I like Nathan’s idea, find somewhere that has actual people, start asking questions.”

It might not be the best of plans, but she’ll take it.

-

Outside the storm from last night’s left some detritus scattered about, although Nathan’s certainly seen worse.

After some wandering they find an intersection for what looks like a well used thoroughfare—shaded by a large tree of some sort—but then the question becomes which _way_ do they go. They’re still debating that when William shows up. Nathan glares at him. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be?”

“Yes well,” William rolls his eyes. “The last time I left you someone decided to destroy the void. I like my odds sticking close more.”

The three of them exchange looks, and Nathan feels a resignation that he’s pretty sure isn’t his.

“Fine,” Parker sighs. In his mind Nathan finds himself trying to memorize the feel and shape of what’s apparently Parker’s feeling, partly thinking that if he does it enough he’ll be able to tell if the feeling’s actually his or not. “But you try anything and I’ll kick your ass.”

William raises both his hands up in a sort of surrender. “Trust me, trying something is about as far from my mind as it can get. A lot of people here aren’t exactly _fond_ of me.” Nathan bites back a snort, because he’s pretty sure that’s stating the obvious.

“Can we talk about this on the road?” Duke readjusts the bag they’d filled with food. “We’re losing daylight.”

“Well, which way you want to go?” It’s...weird hearing William ask that.

“People,” Nathan replies, still finding himself surprised that William can be civil _and_ helpful. “We want to get back home.”

William eyes them, like he’s not sure about them and really he’s got no right to judge. Audrey’s hand rests on his wrist and Nathan forces himself to take a deep breath. “Aright,” William finally says, “then this way.” He starts walking down the road to the right.

“I thought you’d never been here before?” Duke accuses as they follow—what other choice do they really have?

“Doesn’t mean I can’t read,” William snaps back, one of his hands gesturing at the tree. “I mean it’s been a few hundred years since I’ve been home, but the language hasn’t changed _that_ much. Otherwise we’d all be up shit creek.”

Now there’s an unpleasant reality, their ‘guide’ for...Oblus is a few hundred years out of date; then again with beings so long lived would that change all that much?

Still no one responds, although Nathan finds himself curious about how the tree is apparently a signpost of some sort, and they travel in silence for the next few miles.

-

Duke’s grateful for the silence, and the fact that they eventually do stop for lunch, lightening the bag he’d packed somewhat—although Nathan does offer to take it. The silence lets him think without having to worry that he’s not being social.

 _Bonded_ , somehow Audrey did to the three of them what Mara/her and William used to share—did still share? He wasn’t exactly interested in hurting one of them to find out—on the one hand it’s not as at all like he expected, on the other he’s not sure how he feels about it.

Feeling Audrey’s panic that morning had, well, it’d frightened him. He’s only half-good with his own emotions, he’s not sure he can deal with two others as well. But it seems like he doesn’t have much of a choice; it’s a comfort at least to know Audrey did it without meaning to.

He bites into a cheese of some sort, if they were on...Earth he’d call it a Swiss, not bad though, and chews contemplatively.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Nathan sits next to him on the rocky outcropping they’d stopped at. It’s a nice day out, the sun not too hot, and a good breeze blowing about, perfect for their ‘picnic’.

Duke snorts. “I don’t know, is it a good penny? Or just a boring old one?” It’s all too easy for him to deflect, although he has to think of how long that will really work anymore with Nathan and Audrey considering.

“Duke,” not very long at all then, if Nathan’s tone is anything to go by.

He takes another bite of cheese. “It’s just...weird. The emotions thing,” so far none of the ones he’s felt since have been as _strong_ as Audrey’s from breakfast, he’s pretty sure it’s because they’re ‘surface’ sorts of things, here and then gone the next; which he’s certainly grateful for.

“I don’t know,” Nathan answers with a shrug. “I, like it.” His ears are turning pink, and Duke resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Nathan would like it, for all that he still tried to wall most of his emotions up he did enjoy being close to the people he cared about; and this was just closer than usual.

“I’m not sure if I’m sorry or not,” Audrey butts in, sitting across from the two of them. She pulls her knees up to her chest and nibbles on some bread. “On the one hand I’m sorry that I did it because none of us really agreed to it, and I have no idea how it happened in the first place. On the other,” her expression turns sort of fierce. “I’m pretty sure it’s the reason you’re alive again, and I won’t _ever_ be sorry about that.”

His heart seems to literally skip a beat if Audrey’s slight twitch is anything to go by—Nathan doesn’t seem to feel the physical parts at least the lucky bastard—but he can’t really help it. Audrey’s been fierce and protective of him before, in front of others even, but this time it seems different.

“Hate to interrupt the love fest,” Duke resists the urge to sigh when William speaks. “But we’ve got company incoming.”

They all turn their heads to see what Duke can only describe as a _floating_ Conestoga wagon, being pulled by creatures that look almost, but not _quite_ , like horses—something about the heads.

All four of them exchange glances, unsure if they should hide or be friendly.

“We could get to more people faster,” Nathan says.

“Or they could kill us,” William responds.

“They’ll at least be able to tell us what’s going on,” Audrey responds with some finality; and she has a point.

So Duke stands and waves, catching the driver’s attention.

They quickly pack up and walk over to her. She eyes them, as do the two children in the back portion of the wagon. “How’de strangers. You headed towards Yhita?”

Audrey gives her ‘dealing with Troubled smile’, “if there’re people we are. We’ve been...out exploring in the wild for the past few months and are a little lost. We found an abandoned village?”

“Yep,” the woman nods, “sounds about right.” She gives them all a once over. “Hop on in, make travelling safer at least. I’m Uti, and these are my boys Ryne and Enyr.”

They introduce themselves as Audrey moves to sit next to Uti and he, Nathan, and William get in the wagon. It beats walking at least.

-

As they head into town, at a far faster rate than they could have managed on foot. Audrey manages to get info from Uti, in a way it feels good to do so again, helps her remember what Haven used to be like.

Apparently her father’s been here a month—the difference in time surprises her—turning any people he finds into monsters, although Uti admits to never having seen one of these ‘monsters’ herself so Audrey’s not sure how much stock she’s putting into that.

One of the boys pipes in to give a boyishly gruesome description that makes William laugh, while Uti just huffs.

They fall into companionable silence after that, which Audrey finds herself completely fine with. If only so she can sort through her own thoughts on everything they’ve learned.

But before she knows it they’ve arrived.

The city, while bigger than Audrey expected looks pretty...empty in terms of people. Oh, on the other side of the gate she does see people going to and fro, but in a city this large she expects _throngs_. The guards at the gate still look to be in good order, and she finds herself approving.

One of them comes up to the wagon. “What’s your business?”

“I came looking for shelter,” Uti tells him. “Me and my sons.”

Audrey somehow manages a friendly smile. “My friends and I were hoping to speak with a scientist,” she decides it’s best to leave it at that for now.

The Guard peers into the back of the wagon, at the guys, out of the corner of her eye she sees Duke give him an almost cheeky wave and she resists the urge to roll her eyes; he twitches and she’s pretty sure it’s because Nathan kicked him.

“Alright,” the guard says slowly, turning and gesturing at his fellows in their station. The gate begins to rise. “The science district is that way,” he points at a hill rising up. “Refugee checkpoint’s that way,” his hand swings in the opposite direction.

Both she and Uti nod in thanks and moments later they’re inside Yhita. The wagon stops and she and the others get off. “Thank you again, so much,” Audrey gives her a real smile, this woman didn’t have to help them, but she did.

“Not a problem,” Uti tips an imaginary hat and then snaps the reins getting her wagon moving again.

“Well,” Duke speaks. “I guess we’ve got a walk ahead of us.”

“Not for me,” William says, taking a few steps away. “I’ve got no need to head back to Earth and frankly I’m surprised we got this far.” He gives a jaunty wave. “So good luck,” it almost sounds friendly.

“Halt!” A man’s voice calls out, firm and sure.

William actually does stop, which surprises her. “Seriously?” He mutters, and she finds herself unsurprised when Nathan sniggers.

But she tears her attention away from that to focus on the man who called out. She’s a little shocked to see it’s another guard, one with a...disk pointed at them. Audrey does her best to keep her easy-going smile, “is something the matter sir?” She doesn’t know this world’s laws so she’s certain it’s best for them all to be as polite as possible, even if she’s not exactly happy at being held up like this.

Which is about when she realizes that this man isn’t the only guard, they’re quickly being surrounded. Alright, so maybe being polite won’t work at all. Next to her she feels both Nathan and Duke tense.

“Mara and William,” the man speaks again and Audrey feels like she’s been doused with ice. “You and your compatriots are under arrest.”

-

Nathan’s glad he’s not the only one feeling indignant anger over being arrested. This time there’s not even the implication that he’s committed a crime. Still even William had let them cuff him without protest, although he’d sneered when they’d started putting on gloves for a reason that escapes Nathan.

The guards march them down a street towards the hill the gate guard had pointed them towards, and eventually _up_ it. To a building better guarded than the rest, it puts him to mind of the school in Haven and a wave of homesickness fills him.

Even more guards begin to accompany them as they enter the building. A few halls and some stairs later they’re in front of a pair of doors. The guard that had ‘issued’ their arrest knocks on them and moments later it opens just a hair, there’s a spate of conversation then the doors close.

Only to open again a minute or so later.

The room inside is almost austere, muted colors cover the walls and there are no windows to add any sort of natural light. There’s a large table, covered in papers, and a small group of people surrounding it.

They get marched to the table, everyone looks up, and some recoil in shock. Nathan has to wonder how much chaos Mara and William caused in their homeworld before they ended up on Earth to cause such a reaction.

“So,” a woman—he would say African American, except there’s no Africa, or America—speaks, her heather colored eyes narrowing. She’s dressed in simple clothes, pants and some sort of shirt, with one of those disk things strapped to her waist; her black hair’s cropped close to her head. “The fruit has returned to join the tree in it’s poisoning. Did you think we had forgotten you and William Mara?”

The anger that fills him is definitely Parker’s. “I’m _not_ _Mara_.” She shrugs off the guard holding her and takes a step forward, barely a second later more of those disk things are pointed at her and Nathan has to wonder if the fear is his or Duke’s.

If Parker’s afraid then she’s somehow keeping it from them. “Mara’s dead.” she tells them.

The woman narrows her eyes. “Yet the gene scan says that you have her DNA,” when did they get scanned Nathan wonders. “What say you to that?”

Parker squares her shoulders and Nathan feels a burst of pride. “If you know about me than you know that Mara and William escaped to Earth where they were tracked down.”

“Yes,” the woman answers. “It was my brother that found you, and then gave his life so that you would not harm anyone else.” Surprise flickers through all three of them, the source unknown to even Nathan.

Still Parker continues. “Well then you know the Barn rewrote Mara’s personality every time she went in. I’m one of those...personalities. I’m Audrey Parker. Mara was causing troubles on Earth and Charlotte, my mother, stopped her. There’s no Mara anymore, just me.”

There’s a brief round of murmurs in the table crowd, but they fall silent when the woman clears her throat. “Be that as it may, you are still your father’s daughter, and you and the others still tainted by the aether.” It’s then Nathan notices that everyone’s wearing gloves, or other protective gear. “How am I to know you’re not here on his behest to try and accomplish what he has not? Killing us here would create even more chaos for him to create his abominations in.”

Anger starts filling Nathan again, but it’s a different sort than from before. That had been indignant, this, this was cold. And he found himself welcoming it. Nathan’d spent the last few years dealing with the Troubled, and he knew full well that there was nothing abominable about them, they were regular people, just a little different.

Before any of them have a chance to protest—really if they were here to cause trouble he’s certain trouble would have been caused by now, Duke was good at that sort of thing—the woman speaks again. “Take them away, the cells should hold them well enough. It’s held the others so far.”

The anger surges, and while he doesn’t struggle he also doesn’t keep quiet. “We can help you,” he snaps. “Help you stop Croatoan once and for all.” While he’s not sure if that’s actually possible they don’t know that either; and he’s pretty sure if they got down to it Croatoan could be killed just like anyone else.

But the woman doesn’t seem to care, her attention returning to the papers on the table, hushed conversation resuming.

“Well I’ll give you an ‘A’ for effort,” William says as they retrace their route. “But it’s really no use.” He shakes his head. “Oblians, so obsessed with purity,” he glares at the guards.

Who don’t take too kindly to it. “Shut your mouth sower,” one of them snaps as he gives William a shove towards a set of stairs going down. There’s only dim light, but only for a moment, then a trail of light grows on the walls as they descend.

The prison, jail, cells are brighter and better kept than Nathan thought they would be. Actually they don’t even quite look like jail cells either. Each is three solid walls, with the fourth being clear; they’re all full of normal looking people too, and that feeling of anger he’s getting is definitely Parker.

Finally reaching some empty ones the guards have a brief debate before making the decision of where to put them. William goes in one cell, Parker in another, and he and Duke get to share. Not what he would have wanted, but their cell is across from Parker’s so at least he can _see_ her.

“Great,” Duke sighs, banging the back of his head against the wall. “How the hell are we getting out of here?” It’s a good question, one that Nathan finds he shares.

Except he has one that’s slightly more pressing. “Parker, can you hear us?”

“Barely,” it comes to them faint and distant, whatever material the transparent wall’s made of blocking most of the sound, but it’s better than nothing at all.

Nathan moves to sit next to Duke, he might not be able to feel him, but he still wants the closeness. “I don’t know how we’ll get out, maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll let us out.” It reminds him of worse times, everyone here thinking Parker’s anything like Mara.

Duke’s laugh is bitter, and he watches as Duke’s head comes to rest on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d be that optimistic,” he sounds fond though.

“Pretty sure you’re an optimist too,” Nathan teases, turning his head and burying his nose in Duke’s hair. He smells like spices and hints of engine oil, and Nathan lets himself bask in it.

“Realist,” Duke replies tartly.

“Boys,” there’s fondness in Parker’s tone for all her warning. It makes Nathan smile. “I think we should be focusing on important things, not flirting.” Nathan’s pretty sure the unhappiness of them being split up like this is an even split between all three of them however.

Duke sighs, “all work and no play detective Parker.”

Across the hall Parker narrows her eyes, and he feels something like playful determination coming from her. “Oh, I’ll show you play Duke Crocker, as soon as we’re out of here and don’t have to worry about my father anymore.”

A strange sort of happiness fills Nathan, one that he soon realizes isn’t from him, but from Duke, and Nathan’s pretty sure he’s smiling himself.

Until he notices a black spot on his pants. He blinks as he stares at it and two more suddenly appear. “Duke?”

“Yeah?” Duke’s voice comes from right next to Nathan’s throat and Nathan wishes he could feel the other man’s breath.

“I, I think something happening to me.” A nervous sort of fear, only his, fills him.

Duke pulls away, and he can feel the concern—comforting at least—from Duke and Parker. “Oh Buddha,” more fear, not his this time, washes through him. He watches Duke’s hand rise up and probably touch his face, when it pulls away it’s black.

-

Duke should have damn well realized what he was feeling before, what the slow build of pain was coming from. He honestly has no idea how why he’d written it off the the meeting room, and on their way here, it was damn stupid of him.

Or maybe it’s because it hadn’t been from him and so he’d wanted to not acknowledge it.  Except with Nathan unable to actually _feel_ his own pain, well, he and Audrey needed to look after Nathan.

“Duke?” Audrey’s voice, even if faint, is clearly worried, accompanied by a wave of that feeling as well, and right now it doesn’t even bother Duke that he’s feeling their emotions and Nathan’s pain; because it’s damn well better than the alternative.

He can’t exactly ask if Nathan’s alright, because it’s not like Nathan can _tell_ , but his eyes see enough to have a good guess.

For one thing black tears aren’t exactly normal.

Except unlike Duke’s own experience the aether—and it _has_ to be aether, what else could it be?—doesn’t fly off, it just falls like real tears would, landing on Nathan’s pants and the cell floor. “Nathan’s…” What exactly? Duke had no idea what he could say that could explain this, not that he had any real idea what was happening in the first place.

“He’s leaking,” probably not the best term, but really what better one is there? “Aether.”

“Oh my God,” Duke’s pretty much the same way. And he lets himself feel the flash of hurt when Nathan recoils away from him. “I, you’re okay right?” Nathan through and through. “I didn’t give you another Trouble did I?”

Not that Duke would be able to tell really, it’s not like before where the Troubles he’d had were...itching to get out. Whichever one’s he’d managed to collect on Croatoan’s behest weren’t as numerous as that; so one more would hardly make a difference.

“I think we would know if you had Nathan,” Audrey says; for all he knows she shouts it, but it comes to them gentle and comforting.

“But…” Nathan’s shoulders slump and Duke risks getting closer.

He doesn’t touch Nathan though, he wants to, but also knows that it won’t actually accomplish the goal Duke wants it to. “Hey,” he says instead. “It’s okay, we’ll get you through this.” If Nathan somehow had become a Trouble bomb like Duke had, it won’t be pretty but they can deal with it; they had once before.

Cold shock fills him and it takes a moment to realize that it’s not coming from him. “Shit,” he looks up to see Audrey’s face nearly pressed against her own glass wall, her hands certainly are. “It’s Croatoan, Nathan, he, he hit you with all that aether remember?” Which goes over Duke’s head, but he can deal.

“Fuck,” Audrey continues. “He must have planned this. Help! We need a doctor!”

-

Audrey’s screaming, but she has no idea if anyone actually hears her. If Nathan and Duke sounded like they were speaking to her underwater than how would anyone more than five feet away actually _hear_ her?

But she has to try, because she doesn’t want people getting hurt, least of all Duke and Nathan. Even as she shouts she keeps her gaze on them. Watching Duke shift Nathan, who’s still crying aether tears; but why aren’t they trying to infect people with Troubles?

She starts pounding her fists on the glass, ignoring the pain that’s coming from both her own actions and Nathan, hoping it might better catch someone’s attention.

It takes her a moment to realize the reason the sound’s gotten louder is because she’s not the only one doing it now, she’s assuming the rest of the prisoners have picked it up, probably to try and rattle the guards.

But at least it means it’ll catch their attention.

And indeed, a minute or so later there’s a pair of guards who come marching down the hall, banging on glass walls to get people to stop. She’ll take it.

When they reach her cell she starts pounding again. “My friend,” her throat starts to feel raw from all the shouting. “He needs medical attention.” She points across the way to Nathan.

The guards share a look, then glance at Nathan. “Why should we?”

She grits her teeth, “because he’ll die.” Being full of aether nearly killed Duke, she won’t have it nearly kill Nathan as well; not if she can help it.

Again the guards look at each other. “So? One less of you to worry about.”

An almost wordless snarl leaves her, anger coursing through her veins. It should terrify her, this anger, because it’s the same sort she remembers Mara feeling. But she’s welcoming it now, because this is _Nathan_ , and she’s not giving up on him without a fight. “Because, if you don’t, when I break free dying will be the least of your worries.”

This time the guards seem more nervous. They talk quietly between each other before one begins jogging back the way they came. Guard number two turns to her, “this better be a real emergency girly and not a trap, if it is dying’ll be the least of _your_ worries.” Audrey finds herself uncowed.

It takes about ten minutes, during which Nathan doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, nor any better either; at least the pain coming from him has leveled off.

Finally though the first guard returns, with someone in what looks like a hazmat suit, if one far less bulky than any Audrey’s ever seen, a small briefcase in hand.

She watches intently as the guards tell Nathan and Duke to get away from the door, Duke pulls Nathan away and the guards open the door, one stepping in before what she hopes is a doctor enters; the second guard closes the door.

The guard in the cell gestures Duke away with one of those disks, and she feels the displeasure from him as he does so. Earlier she had thought it too invasive, but now, now she _wants_ to be able to hear their thoughts, because then she’d at least have a better idea of what’s happening over there.

Setting the briefcase on the ground the doctor kneels and opens it, pulling out a strange instrument and running it over Nathan. She can’t tell if Nathan’s being asked questions or not, or if he’s responding to them if he is. Is he telling whoever’s in that suit that he can’t feel pain? Will Duke have to chime in and reveal their bond? The woman at the table had already known they were ‘tainted’ by the aether, would it even matter that Audrey had bound them all with it?

Putting away the first instrument the doctor pulls out a second, instead of running this one over Nathan they press it against his face, collecting some of the aether tears. They give the device a shake and stare at what must be the screen. She wishes she could see a face, see expressions.

After a few seconds that instrument gets put back in the case too, but a third doesn’t get pulled out. Instead the doctor closes the case and stands. They must say something because the guard steps away from Duke and they exit the cell.

Unfortunately for her they chose not to discuss whatever they’ve discovered right there, instead they all walk off, leaving them alone.

“Duke? Nathan?”

“We’re,” Duke returns to Nathan’s side, and she finds warm affection filling her at the sight. “We’re okay, the doc didn’t say anything, didn’t even ask questions,” even from here she can see the face of annoyance Duke makes.

Audrey presses her forehead against the cool wall, making herself breath—it wouldn’t do any of them good to pass out. She’d at least hoped the doctor would say what was wrong with Nathan,  or at least say if they even knew.

Maybe it’s small mercies that Nathan can’t feel the aether in him, although she and Duke feel it plenty enough. It hurts to think that this is what Duke was feeling all the time when Mara was free, that all three of them were foolish and so caught up in their own dramas to not trust each other and reach out.

Forcefully she shakes her head, no use dwelling on the past, it’d happened and there was no way to change it. It certainly doesn’t change the here and now.

“I’ll be fine Parker,” Nathan’s attempt at comfort makes her mouth tug up in a watery sort of smile.

“Damn right you’ll be Wournos. Otherwise Duke and I’ll have to drag you back to life.” She’d do it to.

Duke wraps his arms around Nathan, and Nathan leans into him—more for Duke than himself she knows—and she wishes so badly she was there with them, wanting Nathan to _feel_ Duke and herself comforting him.

Time passes, and eventually she finds herself hearing footsteps, a lot of them. She turns her head and manages to see more people in those hazmat-esque suits, some of them possibly guards now even. They stop in front of Duke and Nathan’s cell again, this time not even bother to tell them to step back.

Two people descend on Nathan, and she watches heart in her throat as they put something over Nathan’s face, and something else around his neck. Emotions pass through her too fast to name, and she watches as someone else puts a similar item around Duke’s neck, a collar she realizes. Both men get marched out, and she finds herself opening her mouth to demand they take her with them; she’ll be damned if she lets them leave without her.

Before she can even make such a demand however two more people are moving to stand in front of her cell. “Step away,” one of them demands.

She does, if she fights them she’s afraid they’ll leave her here instead of taking her with them; and that’s not going to happen.

So she doesn’t do anything as one of the collars is put around her own neck, the metal’s cold, but it’s at least smooth so it doesn’t scrape against her skin. And she certainly doesn’t protest as she gets shoved out into the hall; the only small defiance she allows herself is a stumble so that her shoulder can bump against Duke. Right now it’s better than nothing.

A rush of affection fills her from him, and Nathan’s ache that she can’t touch him is echoed in her; but he has more guards around him. Outside, at least, she gets a better look at him. It’s a mask of some sort, he can still clearly see out of it, but it’s keeping the aether from falling and ‘tainting’ anything.

Together they’re escorted out of the prison again and down even more halls, until she starts recognizing medical equipment—which looks about the same as some of the stuff she’s seen in hospitals on Earth, strangely.

They get shoved into an exam room, and left alone.

-

The second the guards leave the room Parker’s over him like white on rice. Not that Nathan’s gonna complain, well maybe a little over the pain—then again he knows this pain, he’d felt it when he’d been in Duke’s body. It’s worth it to feel her and Duke, to know that they’re _here_ with him.

His cheeks itch from the weird mask they’d put on him, but the collar seems to have warmed to his body when he couldn’t feel, so that’s nice. He wraps his arms around the both of them. “Maybe we should think about getting out of here.”

Duke snorts, the air hot against his ear. “Nathan Wournos, suggesting we escape from prison? We really are in an alternate universe.”

Parker laughs and he finds his own spirits buoyed by their amusement.

The door opens and another person in a body suit walks in, the woman’s face staring out at them seems nonplussed by their embrace, although her eyes do narrow slightly.

“By law I’m required to inform you that those are shock collars, should you try and escape the guards will not hesitate to use them, at which point you’ll be escorted back to your cells,” she doesn’t exactly sound happy about it, but Nathan doesn’t really give a fuck. “Now step away from my patient.” She eyeballs Duke and Parker.

He knows when Parker steps away because sensation leaves him, but he still knows she’s nearby and that the both of them are worried about him, and it’s enough.

Despite her dislike of them the doctor’s no-nonsense as she looks him over. While he can’t exactly tell if she runs tests, he _thinks_ she does considering the things they watch her do, she seems to find out what she wants.

Stepping away from him she goes to the door and sticks her head out, “I need Minister Camilla and whatever other bigwigs can make it, now.” Part of Nathan finds that funny.

The doctor turns her attention to her instruments and Parker and Duke reattach themselves to him like limpets. “I hope we actually find out what’s going on,” Duke says, voice quiet; although the doctor probably couldn’t be less interested in them if she tried.

He feels Parker’s grip tighten; her anger passing through him. “I just hope we get these damn collars off, what do they think we are? Dogs?” He tightens his own grip, as always enjoying the feel of the muscles in his hand moving.

“Hey,” He watches as Duke leans across him to kiss Parker. “We’ll figure it all out. That’s what we do.”

Warm pride fills Nathan at Duke’s words, recalling a time when Duke wouldn’t have included himself in that. Unable to help himself he ducks down and kisses Duke, it’s not the best angle but who cares?

The sound of a throat clearing breaks them apart, and unhappily they turn their attention to the new people who have entered the room; one of which is the same woman they’d talked to earlier.

“What have you got for us Doctor Varduhi?” She says, keeping her eyes trained on them as if she expects them to try something.

“It’s quite extraordinary, even with the terrifying implications. In the simplest terms that man,” she gestures at Nathan. “Seems to have begun to produce aether naturally, like you and I would produce sweat or tears.”

Shock is a living thing in them, reflecting and growing as it moves between them.

Doctor Varduhi steps closer to the woman. “Of course it’s likely that his body isn’t able to excrete aether like sweat, hence the tears, but I believe it’s safe to say that the majority of it is still building up inside him.” So almost exactly like with Duke. “Even with the possibility of mass tainting,” Nathan isn’t the only one bristling at the term. “I believe he should be studied.”

“No,” the woman, Minister Camilla, snaps, her eyes narrowing. “I will not allow anymore of our people to be exposed to aether if I can help it. We’ve lost too many as it is.”

In his arms Parker stiffens, and he can feel her resolve. “Look,” she pulls away and the world numbs again. “If you’re trying to stop my father we can _help_. We’ve been dealing with him for the past few months, we want him dead and gone just as much as you do.” He wonders how she feels with his and Duke’s pride filling her.

Minister Camilla narrows her eyes. “I still don’t trust you. Why should I believe you, you could just want to return to him, so that he would be even stronger.”

“Please,” Parker laughs. “Help the man who terrorized the place I call home and killed more than a few of the people I care about, including my own mother and Duke?” She takes a step closer, barely even phased by the guards tensing. “No, I want him dead. And I think I know how…”

-

Duke’s not one hundred percent sure about this plan, however it’s also a helluva lot better than any he can think of, and it might actually work considering what they know. At least Audrey and Nathan have done some tests, so they know at least _that_ part of the plan works.

And the collars are off, although everyone’s still in their damn suits—bastards—and Nathan’s still wearing that ridiculous mask thing. Duke wants to rip it right off, but also doesn’t want to screw things up anymore than the already are, still his fingers twitch with the urge.

They’ve also got tracking devices on them now—small favors that they’re not subdermal at least—as if that will somehow prove to Camilla and her cronies that they’re actually on her side.

On the other hand thanks to her they now know where Croatoan is, and Duke’s just as ready for a fight as Nathan and Audrey. Granted if all goes right then it won’t really be much of a fight; not that Duke’s looking for a _fair_ one mind you.

Riding those strange horse things—which were apparently called poots, and Duke’s inner twelve year old thinks that’s the funniest fucking thing ever—they head out.

It’s strange to not be talking, yet knowing what your partners are feeling. It still unnerves him some, but he’s also finding he’s growing used to it. Which unnerves him more. But it’s not as if Audrey can undo what she’s done, so Duke knows he’s just going to have to accept it; the fact that it’s probably the reason he’s still alive right now helps on that front.

Audrey’s intent on the map she’s holding, the little blinking dot that is them moving closer and closer to Croatoan’s last known position.

The closer they get the more Duke can feel the tension in all three of them ratcheting up.  Nervous, but chomping at the bit to finally be done with this. He knows there are Troubles in him that could help, but he’s not sure if he can use them. The guilt of how he got them too tied up in them; yet he finds he’s fine with that, and if he never has to use them so much the better.

Out of the corner of his eye he watches Nathan guide his poot closer and reaching out squeezes Duke’s hand. Duke squeezes back out of habit, grateful for the comfort, and the feeling of affection that comes from the other man. “We’ll get through this,” Nathan tells him.

“Damn straight,” Duke responds. On his other side he sees Audrey flash a knife sharp smile.

Finally they come upon the town, and as they move into it Duke notices the people. There’s a man hunched in a doorway shards of _something_ flying around him as he rocks back and forth. A woman with no eyes—not anymore at least—slowly walking down an alley her arms outstretched before her.

The Troubled of Oblus.

He can feel Audrey’s anger, granted all three of them feel the same way, at what her father’s done. Faintly he hears a cracking sound and when he glances at Audrey he sees her gripping the smooth disk that is the map painfully tight.

They pass more and more Troubled, and he’s not sure if the faint pain of having to ignore them is from Audrey or Nathan; he’s pretty sure it’s not his own, he cares about the Troubled just as much as they do, but he wants to kill Croatoan more.

Reaching the town square there’s no sign of Croatoan, Duke feels his grip on the reins tighten in anger.

Audrey seems unphased however, or at the very least unaffected by his anger, and she tucks away the map before dismounting. He and Nathan follow suit, trailing after her as she walks to the raised platform a few feet away.

“Dad!” Duke nearly jumps at Audrey’s shout.

-

Audrey knows Croatoan is here, it’s not a bond or anything like that, just instinct. Probably still observing the Troubled he’d created; her anger grows at the thought. Sure Haven had been bad, but this, this was worse.

Silence follows in the wake of her shout, she waits a few minutes then shouts again. More than willing to do it all day if it gets his attention.

Luckily she doesn’t have to wait that long.

Croatoan ambles into the square like he doesn’t have a care in the world. She’s pretty sure the expression on his face is a _pleased_ smile once he spots them. “Dove!” He fucking sounds like he’s greeting her at the airport. “It’s so good to see you again so soon.” His gaze travels. “Though I dare say you could have better company.”

It hardly matters now whose anger is whose, the emotion in one giant feedback loop between the three of them, until it feels like they’re holding more anger than anybody possibly could. “This ends now Croatoan.”

“I thought I was dad finally,” he pouts. “And thank you for bringing my dear hound back to life, I wasn’t quite finished collecting what he’d hunted down for me.”

“No,” she says, interrupting him. “You can’t touch Duke anymore,” somehow she’s certain that the bond she’d made prevents that. Duke’s his own man again, and nothing Croatoan can ever do will change that.

Still Croatoan holds a hand out, fingers curling towards his palm like he’s trying to coax a skittish animal.

Nothing happens.

Triumph fills the three of them, and she holds her hand out for Nathan as she takes a step forward. “Like I said you can’t touch him _dad_.” Nathan’s hand slots into hers and she takes a deep breath. “And if you want aether so much,” she hears the mask Nathan’s been wearing fall to the ground. “Have some.”

It’s harder channeling the aether in Nathan than it was William’s hoard, but she can do this; yet she can’t go too fast though, otherwise she might kill him. Next to her she can feel Duke tensing, readying himself if Croatoan attacks.

With another deep breath she aims the aether and releases it.

It shoots out of Nathan like lightning, arcing strait for Croatoan and hitting him in the blink of an eye. And it keeps coming, this isn’t the void with its limited supply, this is _Nathan_. It’s delicious irony that it’s only because of her father that they’re able to do this.

Her erstwhile father struggles, but he can’t escape. Yet he’s not dying either and Audrey can’t risk pulling the aether out faster to try and finish the job.

A warm hand settles on top of her’s and Nathan’s joined ones, and a moment later Duke speaks. “Die,” his tone is flat, emotionless. If Audrey couldn’t feel the hate coming from him she’d be worried.

Nathan shivers in their grasp and something about the aether changes. When the change finally reaches her father he stiffens, collapsing to the ground.

She keeps up the stream for a few more seconds, just in case. But then slowly she begins to taper it off, easing all three of them out of their current state. Duke lets go of her to catch Nathan before he hits the ground and she’s helping him ease Nathan into lying down a few seconds later. “Nathan?” His breathing’s steady, and she doesn’t feel like _she’s_ going to die; but she still needs to ask.

“Immfin,” his eyes open part ways before fluttering back down again as he slips into unconsciousness.

She feels the urge to do the same tugging at the edges of her mind, but she resists. Just like she needs to know that Nathan’s alright, she needs to know that her father’s dead.

Leaving Duke to look after Nathan she goes on wobbly legs—channeling aether didn’t take that much out of her last time—to Croatoan. Kneeling next to his body she reaches a hand out and checks his pulse, nothing.  Something in her shudders in disgust as aether trickles out of Croatoan’s eyes, nose, and mouth.  But she still holds the back of her hand close to his nose, just in case he’s somehow stopped his own pulse.

After a few moments she doesn’t feel anything  resembling breath and she relaxes.

She aches everywhere as she stands, but she manages to make her way back to Duke and Nathan. “He’s dead,” she tells Duke. It’s technically pointless to say, Duke would have felt her relief, but it _needs_  to be said.

He’s dead, and it’s over.

-

It’s a few hours later when Camilla and her people show up.

Not that Audrey’s really paying attention to that, more focused on helping the few Troubled she’s managed to coax out into the square; she knows it won’t be like Haven where she, and later Duke, were immune. But she also knows she can _help_ these people. She just hopes no one’s got a reality altering Trouble—then again she doesn’t think Croatoan would have given the ability to change _his_ plans to someone.

She does notice the group, still in their protective suits, approaching however. “It’ll be alright,” she tells the man, Julian, she’s been talking to. Reaching out she gives his arm a squeeze, overlooking the way the ball of bone in his hand trembles with his emotions.

Leaving him she goes back to Nathan, out of the corner of her eye she sees Duke doing the same. As she gets closer she sees Nathan’s eyelids flutter, and she feels relief that he’s finally waking up—they’ll all need to eat soon.

Coming to a stop in front of the platform she turns to face Camilla and crosses her arms, resisting the urge to roll her eyes when she sees the woman grimace as she steps in the pool of aether that’s formed around Croatoan’s body.

“I guess there are thanks in order.” Audrey wonders if she’s sharing urges now with Duke and Nathan, because the urge to make a sarcastic quip _has_ to be Duke.

“We didn’t do it for you,” she even manages to sound reasonable about it.

“You will, of course, be compensated,” Camilla speaks as if she hasn’t heard Audrey. “We’ll provide you with transport off-world…”

“No,” Audrey interrupts, surprising even Duke, who’s helping Nathan sit upright.

Camilla blinks, clearly not expected that response. “I’m sorry what?”

“We’re not leaving,” it _hurts_ to say that. Haven will always be her home, but with the Void gone it’s not like she can think of a way for them to get back there. She’ll never see Dwight again, or Gloria, or Vicki, or anyone else, and she doesn’t _want_ to admit it, but she has to. “We’re staying right here.”

“No you are not,” for once Camilla shows some emotion, her voice filling with anger as she strides towards Audrey. “You and yours are tainted, you _cannot_ remain here.”

Audrey huffs. “Well first off, screw that. I don’t give a damn about what you consider ‘tainted’ or not. All I know is that these people my father hurt need help, and that’s what I _do_. So Duke, Nathan, and I are staying. We’re going to take in all of those people you consider ‘tainted’, and we’re going to help them.” Audrey finds herself wishing she didn’t have her arms crossed already, because now would be a good time to cross them. “You can either get on board or get out of the way.”

If she’s honest with herself she has no idea _how_ the three of them are going to help these new Troubled, but she also knows that’s not what’s important right now. What’s important is not letting them get pushed around by people who consider them ‘lesser’. Or even worse, being _used_ by them.

No, she’s not going to let that happen.

Camilla narrows her eyes, but Audrey’s face down worse than her. “I could have you all killed.”

Audrey snorts. “I’d like to see you try. If you’d like I could use Nathan to ‘taint’ you all, make everything equal.” Bile rises in her throat at her own threat, so much like Mara, but she has to prove to Camilla that she’s not fucking around.

The other woman actually _recoils_ from Audrey, and a smugness that isn’t hers fills her.

“Fine,” Camilla snaps. “But expect no help from us.”

Which Audrey expected. Again she doesn’t let herself think about the ‘what might bes’ now, she needs to focus on what’s right in front of her. “And you’re going to release the Troubled,” she refuses to call them ‘tainted’ anymore. “You’ve imprisoned. They’ve done nothing to earn that.” Even if they killed people Audrey knows it would have been accidental, the Troubled here don’t know how to control themselves yet, but Audrey’s up to the task.

Camilla’s nod in response is sharp, and she quickly turns to go. Audrey lets her, not calling out anymore demands or making a pithy remark. She’s ‘won’ and she doesn’t need to rub it in.

Once they’re gone from sight Audrey finally lets herself relax and turn back towards her men. Letting herself enjoy the respect and pride coming from them. Climbing up onto the platform again she falls into their arms. “I love you, both of you.” It feels so damn good to say, after everything they’ve been through.

Nathan’s grip on her tightens as he buries his face in her hair. “I love you too Audrey,” she feels his lips brush the shell of her ear. “And you Duke, love you.”

“Too damn much,” Duke affectionately grouses. “That’s how much I love the both of you.”

Audrey kisses one, then the other. “And together we’re going to make our own Haven.”


End file.
